WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Does Chinese Five Spice Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hi

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff. I'm Lauren bog Bam, and today I have

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<v Speaker 1>a classic brain Stuff episode for you. It's about the history, components,

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<v Speaker 1>and even philosophy behind Chinese five spice, the adaptable spice

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<v Speaker 1>blend that I certainly started using more of after we

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<v Speaker 1>did this episode. Hi brain Stuff, Lauren Vogebam. Here, it's

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<v Speaker 1>easy to take Chinese five spice powder for granted, you

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<v Speaker 1>might even wonder if it's culturally authentic. But not only

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<v Speaker 1>is this curious spice blend an important part of China's

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<v Speaker 1>culinary tradition, it's an attempt to balance the crucial five

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<v Speaker 1>flavors identified in Chinese culture. The spice blend itself is

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<v Speaker 1>far from set in stone. You'll frequently find five spice

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<v Speaker 1>powder that contains cinnamon, starnie, cloves, fennel, and Schwan peppercorns,

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<v Speaker 1>but these specific ingredients vary. They don't even have to

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<v Speaker 1>total five. That's because it's less a matter of combining

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<v Speaker 1>five sources of flavor, but rather the creation of a

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<v Speaker 1>spice blend that provides a balance of the five flavors

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<v Speaker 1>themselves bitter, sweet, spicy, sour, and pungent. According to chef

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<v Speaker 1>and author of Stir Crazy Ching he Hung, these flavors

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<v Speaker 1>are crucial for balanced dishes in Chinese cuisine, and their

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<v Speaker 1>use is more complex than a Western branded bottle of

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<v Speaker 1>five spice powder might suggest. Huang said, sometimes the West

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<v Speaker 1>confuses Chinese five spice with allspice, which can contain liquorice, nutmeg,

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<v Speaker 1>and black pepper. The spices and Chinese five spice separately

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<v Speaker 1>and sometimes together whole, are used in numerous dishes, from

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<v Speaker 1>stir fries to braised and stewed dishes a wide range

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<v Speaker 1>of recipes, whereas the West often uses it just in

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<v Speaker 1>powder form and just for marinating. In her own cooking,

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<v Speaker 1>Huang uses the powder for a variety of casseroles, spice rubs, marinaids, roasts, stocks,

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<v Speaker 1>and soy braised dishes. While she admits that store bought

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<v Speaker 1>five spice works perfectly well, she prefers to make it herself.

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<v Speaker 1>Huang said, I make my own with equal quantities of sechuan, pepper,

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<v Speaker 1>star anie, cinnamon, fen and clothes. First dry toast it,

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<v Speaker 1>place it in a spice grinder and grind until it's

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<v Speaker 1>very fine. You can use a fine sieve to make

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<v Speaker 1>sure there are no gritti or larger pieces. Huang also

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<v Speaker 1>points to the deeper understanding of the five flavors, one

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<v Speaker 1>based in traditional Chinese medicines, deep history of herbal medicine,

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<v Speaker 1>and body energy manipulation. According to Beijian University of Chinese

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<v Speaker 1>Medicine professor Dang Ye, the five flavors ensure proper organ

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<v Speaker 1>function and overall health in traditional Chinese medicine. The various

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<v Speaker 1>ingredients in five spice powder factor into other herbal medicine

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<v Speaker 1>traditions as well, though Western medical evidence tends towards the inconclusive.

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<v Speaker 1>The doctrine of the five flavors became established in China

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<v Speaker 1>around the fourth century b C, and tradition places its

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<v Speaker 1>origin in the ancient myth shrouded Jia dynasty of the

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<v Speaker 1>second millennium BC. Whatever its exact origins, the concept proved

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<v Speaker 1>pervasive enough to influence realms outside of medicine and cuisine,

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<v Speaker 1>including philosophical discourse. As philosophy professor Spencer Wortz discusses in

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<v Speaker 1>his book Food and Philosophy, Selected Essays, the ancient philosopher

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<v Speaker 1>Alloosi claimed the five flavors caused men to not taste

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<v Speaker 1>at all. While this would seem counterintuitive to many modern readers,

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<v Speaker 1>the Taoism founder's point was that if you use any

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<v Speaker 1>sense to its fullest udulsibility. Other Taoist thinkers made a

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<v Speaker 1>point of championing the simple tastes of foods like rice

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<v Speaker 1>and kongji, tastes that are arguably annihilated by intense spices.

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<v Speaker 1>Laugi's lesson on over indulgence is obvious, but other Chinese

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<v Speaker 1>philosophers saw the value in a perfect balance of the

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<v Speaker 1>five flavors. As Words points out, a simple bowl of

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<v Speaker 1>soup served as a potent political metaphor in the fourth

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<v Speaker 1>century b c. E text Zochuan. A harmony of spices

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<v Speaker 1>in the soup, it was said, would result in both

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<v Speaker 1>the harmonious flavor and a harmonious mind. Of course, you

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<v Speaker 1>don't have to risk political unrest or sensory decadence in

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<v Speaker 1>your use of five spice powder. The next time you

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<v Speaker 1>reach for it, however, take a moment to consider the

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<v Speaker 1>millennia's worth of tradition embodied in that tiny bottle of

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<v Speaker 1>balanced flavor. M Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>Chinese five spice powder pasty and not Necessarily five Spices

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<v Speaker 1>on how stuff Works dot Com, written by Robert Lamb.

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<v Speaker 1>To hear more from Robert, check out his podcast stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to Blow Your Mind. Brainstuffs production of I Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com and is

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler. Play four more podcasts my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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